M1919 Browning machine gun
The M1919 Browning is a .30 caliber medium machine gun that was widely used during the 20th century. It was used as a light infantry, coaxial, mounted, aircraft, and anti-aircraft machine gun by the U.S. and many other countries, especially during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Although it began to be superceded by newer designs in the later half of the century (such as the M60), it remained in use in many NATO countries and elswhere for much longer. It is very similar in design to the larger .50 in (12.7mm) M2 Machine Gun, which is also a Browning-designed weapon and is still in NATO service. Many M1919s were rechambered for the new 7.62x51mm NATO round, and served into the 1990s, as well as up to the present day in some countries. The U.S. Navy also converted many to 7.62mm NATO, and designated them Mk 21 Mod 0; they were commonly used on river craft in the 1960s and 1970s in Vietnam. The M1919 was an air-cooled development of the standard US machine gun of WWI, the Browning M1917, as designed by John M. Browning. __FORCETOC__ Operation Loading The M1919 originally fired the .30 cal M1906 (30-06) ball cartridge, and later the .30 caliber M2 ball cartridge, containing a woven cloth belt, feeding from left to right. A metallic link was later adopted, forming a "disintegrating" belt. Loading was accomplished by inserting the pull tab on the ammunition belt from the left side of the gun, untill the belt-holding pawl at the entrance of feedway grabbed the belt and held it in place. The cocking handle was then pulled back and released. This advanced the first round of the belt in front of the bolt for the extractor/ejector on the bolt to grab the first cartridge. The cocking handle was pulled and released a second time. This removed the first cartridge from the belt, advanced the next round into position to be grabbed and moved the first round down into the chamber of the barrel ready for firing. As the bolt went in to battery (ready to fire) position the extractor grabbed the next round on the belt that was advanced and was resting in the feedway waiting to be loaded. Every time the gun fired, the gun performed the simultaneous operations of ejecting the spent round, loading the next round to be fired into the barrel, advancing the belt, and grabbing the next round in preparation for loading again. Firing When the rear of the trigger was pivoted upwards by the operator, the front of the trigger tripped downward, releasing the sear, and the sear, in turn, released the firing pin allowing it to strike the primer of the cartridge. As the assembly of bolt, barrel and barrel extension recoiled to the rear of the gun, following the firing of the cartridge, the locking bolt which locked the bolt to the barrel and barrel extension was drawn out of engagement by a cam in the bottom of the gun's receiver. The recoiling barrel extension struck the "accelerator" assembly, a half-moon shaped piece pivoting from the front of the lock frame. The tips of the accelerator's two curving fingers engaged the bottom of the bolt and caused it to move rapidly to the rear, extracting the fired cartridge casing from the barrel. A track in the top of the bolt caused the feed mechanism to advance, providing a new cartridge to be chambered as the bolt moved forward under pressure from the recoil spring. If the trigger was still being pressed, the cycle then repeated itself. Operational use Infantry As a company or battalion support weapon, the M1919 required at least a two-man machine gun team. But in practice, four men were usually involved: the gunner (who fired the gun and when advancing carried the tripod and box of ammo), the assistant gunner (who helped feed the gun and carried the gun), and two ammunition carriers. The original idea was to allow the gun to be more easily packed for transport, and featured a light barrel and bipod when first introduced as the M1919A1. Unfortunately, it quickly became clear thet the gun was too heavy to be easily moved, while at the same time too light for sustained fire. This led to the M1919A2, which included a heavier barrel and tripod, and could be continuously fired for longer durations. The M1919A4 weighed about 31 lbs, and was ordinarily mounted on a lightweight, low-slung tripod for infantry use. fixed vehicle mounts were also employed. It saw wide use in WWII mounted on jeeps, armored personnel carriers, tanks, and amphibious vehicles. The M1919A4 played a key role in the firepower of the WWII US Army infantry company; it usually had a weapons platoon in addition to its other organic units. The prescence of M1919A4 weapons in the weapons platoon gave company commanders additional automatic fire support at the company level, whether in the assault or on defense. The A5 was an adaptation of the A4 with a forward mounting point to allow it to be mounted on jeeps, tanks, armored personnel carriers, and amphibious vehicles. This, along with the M37 and the Browning M2 machine gun, was the most common secondary armament during WWII for the Allies. Another version of the M1919A4, the M1919A6, was an attempt to make the weapon into a light machine gun by attaching a buttstock and a lighter barrel. The A6 version was in fact heavier than the A4 version without its tripod, at 32 lbs, though its bipod made for faster deployment and enabled the machine gun team to dispense with one man (the tripod carrier). The A6 version saw increasing service in the latter days of WWII and was used extensively in Korea. The A6 variant had a folding bipod mounted on the front of the gun, a sheet-metal buttstock, carrying handle, and a tapered barrel. While the modifications were intended to make the weapon more useful as a squad light machine gun, it was a stopgap solution, as the M1919A6 was heavier than the old Lewis gun of WWI, let alone contemporary light machine guns of other nations. During the Second World War, two additional variants of the M1919 were adopted by the US military. One version was the coaxial M37 variant, with the ability to feed from either the left or the right of the weapon. The M37 also featured an extended charging handle similar to those on the M1919A4E1 and A5. A trial variant fitted with a special sight was designated M37F. In the late 1950s, a M1919 designed for remote firing via a solenoid trigger was developed for use in the XM1/E1 armament subsystem was designated M37C. The US Navy later converted a number of M1919A4s to 7.62mm NATO chambering and designated them Mk 21 Mod 0; some of these weapons were deployed in Vietnam riverine warfare patrols. From the 1960s until the 1990s, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) used ground tripod and vehicle-mounted M1919A4 guns converted to 7.62mm NATO on many of their armored vehicles and M3 personnel carriers. Israel developed a modified link for these guns due to feeding problems with the original US M1 link design. The improved Israeli link worked with .30 caliber, 7.62mm NATO and 7.92x57mm cartridges. Aircraft With assistance from firearms engineers at Fabrique Nationale de Herstal, Belgium, the Model 1919 was completely re-engineereed into the .30 caliber M2 AN (Army-Navy) aircraft machine gun. The .30 in M2 AN Browning was widely adopted as both a fixed (offensive) and flexible (defensive) weapon on aircraft. Aircraft machine guns required light weight, firepower, and reliability, and achieving all three goals proved a difficult challenge. The receiver walls and operating components of the M2 were made thinner and lighter, and with air cooling provided by the speed of the aircraft, designers were able to reduce the barrel's weight and profile. As a result, the M2 weighed two-thirds that of the 1919A4, and the lightened mechanism gave it a rate of fire approaching 1,200 rpm, a necessity for engaging fast-moving aircraft. The M2's feed mechanism had to lift its own loaded belt out of the ammunition box and feed it into the gun, equivalent to a weight of 11 lb. In Ordnance circles, the .30 M2 AN Browning had the reputation of being the most difficult-to-repair weapon in the entire US small arms inventory. The M2 also appeared in a twin-mount version which paired two M2 guns with opposing feed chutes in one unit for operation by a single gunner, with a combined RoF of 2,400 rpm. All of the various M2 models saw service in the early stages of WWII, but were phased out beginning in 1943, as hand-trained defensive machine guns became obsolete for air warfare (the .50/12.7mm M2 Browning and 20mm automatic cannon had replaced the .30 in offensive air armament as well). The .30 in M2 aircraft gun was widely distributed to other US allies during and after WWII. Other calibers The same basic weapon was also chambered for the British .303 round, and was used as a basic fighter aircraft gun in fighers such as the Supermarine Spitfire. Similar versions for a variety of European calibers were delivered by the Belgian gun maker FN, notably German-standard 7.92mm Mauser which was widely used in Eastern Europe; and by Swedish gun maker Carl Gustaf SGF in 6.5x55mm and 8x63mm calibers. Argentina used Colt-manufactured guns chambered for the standard Argentine 7.65x53mm cartridge. US-manufactured M1919s were converted to the 7.62x54mmR cartridge by both the People's Republic of China and North Vietnam in order to use captured guns with their standard machine gun ammunition. Similar conversions are available on the US commercial market for recreational shooters to take advantage of cheap surplus 7.62x54mmR ammunition. On Soviet aircraft The .303 variant equipped the Hawker Hurricanes delivered to Soviet Air Forces, during the Great Patriotic War. Soviet airmen compared them to Soviet ShKAS in terms of reliability: "But they often failed due to dust", recalled pilot Nikolai G. Golodnikov. "We tackled the problem gluing percale on all the machine gun holes, and when you opened fire, bullets went right through. The machine guns became reliable then. They were of low efficiency when fired from distances of 150-300m." Production The M1919 was manufactured during WWII by many different companies in the US, including the Saginaw Steering Gear division of the General Motors Corporation, Buffalo Arms Corporation, and Rock Island Arsenal. In the UK, production was chiefly by BSA. Variants and derivatives M1919 variants In total there were six variants of the basic M1919 machine gun. The original M1919 featured a relatively heavy barrel, attempting the match the sustained fire capability of contemporary water-cooled machine guns. The M1919A1 featured a lighter barrel and bipod. The M1919A2 was another lightweight development specifically for mounted cavalry units, utilizing a shorter barrel and special tripod. This weapon was designed to allow greater mobility to cavalry units over the existing M1917 machine gun. The M1919A2 was used for a short period between WWI and WWII after the cavalry had converted from horses to wheeled and tracked vehicles. An improved version of the M1919A2, the M1919A3, was also developed. However, by and large the most common variant of the series was the M1919A4. The M1919A4 was used in both fixed and flexible mounts, by infantry and on vehicles. It was also widely exported after WWII and continues to be used in small numbers around the world. The M1919A6 was an attempt to provide US forces with a more portable light machine gun, similar to the German MG34 and MG42 machine guns they were facing. The M1919A6 had a metal buttstock assembly that clamped to the back of the backplate of the gun, and a front barrel bearing that incorporated both a muzzle booste and a bipod similar to that used on the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). A lighter barrel than that of the M1919A4 was fitted. The M1919A6 was a heavy (32 lb) and awkward weapon in comparison with the MG34 and MG42 and was eventually replaced by the M60 machine gun. AN/M2 A specific aircraft version of the Model 1919A4 was manufactured by Browning as the AN/M2 with a thinner barrel and thinner receiver walls. It was used on US aircraft early in the war, but was replaced by the larger .50 in M2 machine gun and relegated to training duties. A deriviative of the weapon was built by Colt as the MG40. the weapon is not to be confused with the Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .50, M2, Aircraft, and its full designation is Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .30, M2, Aircraft. Browning .303 Mark II The Browning was adopted by the Royal Air Force and manufactured by Vickers Armstrong and BSA to fire the .303 British round. It was essentially the 1930 pattern belt-fed Colt-Browning machine gun with a few minor modifications for British use, such as firing from an open bolt. It was designed to fire hydraulically as a wing mounted machine gun but was also adopted as hand fired mount for use in bombers and reconaissance aircraft. Ckm wz.32 A Polish variant of the M1919 chambered in 7.92mm. M37 The M37 coaxial machine gun has the ability to feed an ammunition belt from either the left or the right of the weapon, and has an extended charging handle similar to those on the M1919A4E1 and A5. A trial variant fitted with special sighting equipment was designated M37F, while a variant with spade grips, the T152, was also developed but not adopted. Several M37 machine guns were converted to M37E1 by Rock Island Arsenal and Springfield Armory for interim use of 7.62x51mm NATO in the M37 until the M73 machine gun could be fielded. Mk 21 The Mk 21 Mod 0 was a US Navy conversion of the M1919A4 to fire the 7.62mm NATO cartridge. The Mk 21 is claimed to have used the M1 link used with the M1919 from which it was derived, while other sources indicate that the M13 link was used. Commercial variants and derivatives Colt produced a derivative of the M2 aircraft machine gun, the Colt MG40, which shipped in a variety of calibers including the basic .30-06 Springfield and 7mm Mauser. Category:U.S. Military Category:NATO Weaponry Category:Western Nations